Wen Jiabao Meets with Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)

2009/10/05

On October 5, 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, met in Pyongyang with Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Wen conveyed the cordial greetings and good wishes from President Hu Jintao and Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, to Kim. Wen said China and the DPRK are linked by common mountains and rivers and good-neighborliness and generation-after-generation friendship between the two countries serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples. Thanks to joint efforts of both sides, the traditional friendship fostered by the older generation of the leaders of the two countries has stood the test of time, is being further consolidated and developed, and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, Wen told Kim, adding that it has become valuable treasure shared by both sides. Wen said both China and the DPRK face important tasks of developing their respective economies and improving people's standard of living, and need to make further efforts to strengthen their friendly cooperation. He said both sides should take the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the Year of China-DPRK Friendship as an opportunity and review and draw on the development experience of bilateral ties in the past 60 years in the interest of better carrying on the China-DPRK friendship, promoting common development and maintaining regional and world peace.

Calling parliamentary exchanges as an important part of bilateral ties, Wen expressed his hope that the friendly exchanges between the two parliaments should be further enhanced so as to play a bigger role in deepening mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and promoting relations between the two countries.

For his part, Kim asked Wen to convey his cordial greetings to Hu Jintao and Wu Bangguo. He described Premier Wen's official goodwill visit to the DPRK on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the Year of China-DPRK Friendship as a strong embodiment of the great importance that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have attached to developing the bilateral ties. During the past 60 years, the bilateral ties have strode forward despite changing situations, playing an important role in promoting the two countries' respective development and maintaining regional peace and stability, Kim said. It is the consistent position of the Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK government to cherish and enhance the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK. The DPRK side is willing to join hands with the Chinese side to maintain high-level contact, strengthen people-to-people and parliamentary exchanges, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in a bid to open up a better future for bilateral ties, Kim said. Kim also extended his congratulations on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The fact that China's overall national strength and international status have been improving continuously fully proves that socialism with Chinese characteristics is a correct road suited to China's realities. He wished the Chinese people greater achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.